Tag Archives: videos

I know that my readership takes a dip June-August each year as many educators go on vacations or take breaks during those months. Although I did not post as regularly as I meant to this summer, I did share some resources that I believe are worth repeating in case you missed them. I am going to spend this week spotlighting some of those.

I already shared the Jennie Magiera video this week, but here are some others that I posted this summer that you may have missed:

“I Wish I Was Invisible” – a good video to show students from Storybooth.

“Be the Last to Speak” – a nice reminder to educators, administrators, and all leaders from Simon Sinek.

As graduation season rolls around once again, I thought I would compile a list of videos that I’ve found over the years that eloquently describe the hopes and dreams I have for my students in the future. I’ve placed the length of each video beside it. Not all of these are graduation speeches, but they all give one or more of the following messages: Be Kind, Work Hard, and Make the Most of Your Time and Abilities. Most of these videos (and many more) can be found on my “Inspirational Videos for Students” Pinterest Board. As always, please preview any video before you show it to your students.

Like this:

Our family just adopted a puppy who is part schnauzer and part jet engine. She officially belongs to my daughter, who is doing her best to be a responsible parent. Every morning, when my daughter gets up, I’ll hear a “wop” against our bedroom door, and open it to be assailed by the joyful bundle of leaps and bounds and licks and nibbles who seems to enjoy life even more than Will Ferrell in Elf.

So, when I ran across The Present on TheKidShouldSeeThis blog, I got a bit angry at the boy who treats his new puppy with disdain. There are some powerful messages about empathy and growth mindset in this compact video (and a happy ending), however, that could make for great class discussions.

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I am so thankful that my colleague, Suzanne Horan, shared this video this week. Hidden Miracles of the Natural World is a video of filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg’s TED Talk in 2014, where he shared some clips from his film, Mysteries of the Unseen World. The footage serves as an incredible reminder that humans are not alone in this world; we are merely a part of a vast system of living things -many of whom are yet to be discovered.

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This week’s Phun Phriday post is about an iPad app called Hyper. Billed as a video magazine, this free app delivers a new set of hand-picked videos to you every day. According to the app’s description, film-makers choose the posts for each issue.

This is not an app I would recommend downloading on student iPads (particularly in elementary school). However, you may discover videos that you will want to share with your students. For example, my 5th graders are reading The Giver, and the October 28th issue offers a video from Neil deGrasse Tyson called, “Say No to a Dystopian Tomorrow.”

You may also find some inspiration in your Hyper video magazine. The 10/29/15 issue featured a story called, “Special Ed Real World Lessons,” that brought happy tears to my eyes.

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This week, I’ve decided to reblog some of my more popular posts with some updates. The post below has remained in the top 5 ever since I published it. Beneath it, I’ve decided to add a few other favorites.

#3: The Power of Words – This might also be a good video to show your students. Its poignant message will hopefully help any viewer to think more carefully about how much word choice can impact what is said and written.

#2: Schools Kill Creativity – One of the many videos on TED that are motivational, this talk, given by Sir Ken Robinson, highlights the need for more imagination in our schools.

#1: What Teachers Make – If you are a teacher in need of a pep talk, this video of a speech by Taylor Mali will get you going. This isn’t one to show your students; it might be one to e-mail to the next adult who criticizes your job.